Minnesota, 1996

Cold in Minnesota, January 29 to 31, 1996

January 29 to 31, 1996 · NWS FSD · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

Bitterly cold air and strong winds caused wind chill readings as cold as 80 below zero. The extreme wind chills cancelled some schools and other activities and contributed to a water main break in Marshall.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$5,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS FSD wrote it up.

Bitterly cold air and strong winds caused wind chill readings as cold as 80 below zero. The extreme wind chills cancelled some schools and other activities and contributed to a water main break in Marshall.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Lincoln

When
January 29, 9:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Lincoln forecast zone
Coordinates
44.413, -96.267 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Lyon

When
January 29, 9:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Lyon forecast zone
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
44.414, -95.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Murray

When
January 29, 9:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Murray forecast zone
Coordinates
44.022, -95.763 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Cottonwood

When
January 29, 9:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Cottonwood forecast zone
Coordinates
44.007, -95.181 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Nobles

When
January 29, 9:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Nobles forecast zone
Coordinates
43.674, -95.753 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Jackson

When
January 29, 9:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Jackson forecast zone
Coordinates
43.674, -95.154 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Pipestone

When
January 29, 9:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Pipestone forecast zone
Coordinates
44.023, -96.259 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Rock

When
January 29, 9:00 AM CST to January 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Rock forecast zone
Coordinates
43.675, -96.253 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill
Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Minnesota in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Minnesota, January 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5538758, 5538759, 5538760, 5538761, 5538762, 5538763, 5538764, 5538765.